And next he had a fright; for, as he scrambled up a sandy brow--
whirr-poof-poof-cock-cock-kick--something went off in his face,
with a most horrid noise. He thought the ground had blown up, and
the end of the world come.

And when he opened his eyes (for he shut them very tight) it was
only an old cock-grouse, who had been washing himself in sand, like
an Arab, for want of water; and who, when Tom had all but trodden
on him, jumped up with a noise like the express train, leaving his
wife and children to shift for themselves, like an old coward, and
went off, screaming "Cur-ru-u-uck, cur-ru-u-uck--murder, thieves,
fire--cur-u-uck-cock-kick--the end of the world is come--kick-kick-
cock-kick." He was always fancying that the end of the world was
come, when anything happened which was farther off than the end of
his own nose. But the end of the world was not come, any more than
the twelfth of August was; though the old grouse-cock was quite
certain of it.

So the old grouse came back to his wife and family an hour
afterwards, and said solemnly, "Cock-cock-kick; my dears, the end
of the world is not quite come; but I assure you it is coming the
day after to-morrow--cock." But his wife had heard that so often
that she knew all about it, and a little more. And, besides, she
was the mother of a family, and had seven little poults to wash and
feed every day; and that made her very practical, and a little
sharp-tempered; so all she answered was: "Kick-kick-kick--go and
catch spiders, go and catch spiders--kick."

So Tom went on and on, he hardly knew why; but he liked the great
wide strange place, and the cool fresh bracing air. But he went